Literature · LC

Civilizational Canons

Writing carries the Way. Twelve canons, each paired with one Muzi Canon book, read literature through the ideas it carries.

12canons

12Canon books

Values & Ethics

110 works

Cultivating virtue and managing the home: the ethical foundation and enduring warmth of human relations in Chinese letters.

  1. Letter of Admonition to My SonZhuge Liang · Letters & PrefacesWithout living simply, one cannot clarify one's aspirations; without stillness, one cannot reach far horizons.
  2. Memorial Expressing My FeelingsLi Mi · Essays & MemorialsWithout my grandmother I would not have lived to this day; without me my grandmother cannot live out her remaining years.
  3. Maxims for Managing the HomeZhu Bolu · NotebooksOver a bowl of congee or rice, reflect upon the arduous labor that produced it; holding half a strand of silk, keep in mind the difficulty of material resources.
  4. Song of the Parting SonMeng Jiao · Yuefu BalladsWho could say that the heart of an inch-long blade of grass could ever repay the boundless sunshine of three springs?

Cosmos & Nature

51 works

Gazing up at the cosmos and observing all creation: the profound resonance between poetic sensibility and celestial movements.

  1. Songs of Chu: Questions to HeavenQu Yuan · Chu ElegiesAt the primordial beginning of remote antiquity, who was there to transmit the account? When Heaven and Earth had not yet taken form, how could they be examined? When light and dark were merged in chaos, who could probe their origin? Whirling formless primordial mist—how can it be comprehended? Where are the sun and moon attached? How are the arrays of stars arranged?
  2. Gazing Across the Vast SeaCao Cao · Yuefu BalladsThe journeys of sun and moon seem to issue from its depths; the brilliant galaxy appears to rise from within.
  3. Song of Beating the EarthAnonymous (people of high antiquity) · Four-Character VerseWork at sunrise, rest at sundown. Dig wells for drink, plow fields for food. What has the emperor's power to do with me!
  4. Song of the Southern WindEmperor Shun · Four-Character VerseThe balmy Southern wind soothes the sorrow of my people; the timely Southern breeze enriches their wealth.

Poetry & Lyrical Spirit

261 works

From the springs of Shijing and Chuci to the zenith of High Tang poetry: the crowning glory of Oriental lyricism.

  1. Classic of Poetry: Guan Ju (Ospreys Cry)Anonymous (compiled by Zhou court musicians) · Four-Character VerseGuan-guan cry the ospreys, upon the river islet. The gentle, modest maiden, a fine mate for a noble gentleman.
  2. Thoughts in the Quiet NightLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsLifting my head, I gaze at the bright moon; lowering my head, I dream of home.
  3. Spring ViewDu Fu · Regulated OctavesBeacon fires have burned through three months; a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.
  4. Prelude to Water Melody · When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?Su Shi · Long LyricsMay we live long and share the graceful moonlight across thousands of miles.

Melodies & Performing Arts

65 works

Musical harmonies attuned to ancient scales and theatrical dramas: the sonic and dramatic beauty of Chinese opera and performing arts.

  1. Song of the PipaBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsWe both are drifted wanderers cast to heaven's far corners; meeting like this, what need is there for prior acquaintance!
  2. Romance of the Western Chamber: Farewell at the PavilionWang Shifu · Yuan Zaju DramaCerulean clouds above, golden petals below; west winds stir as northern geese fly south. Who dyed the frosted trees crimson at dawn? Parting lovers' tears.
  3. The Peony Pavilion: The Interrupted DreamTang Xianzu · Chuanqi DramaBehold how dazzling purples and brilliant crimsons bloom everywhere, yet all are abandoned thus to broken wells and crumbling walls! Fine seasons and splendid scenes—what can one do against cruel time? Joyous hearts and delightful events—in whose courtyard do they dwell? Morning flights, evening rolls, rosy clouds over jade pavilions; drizzling rain, fluttering breeze, painted barges across misty waves. Sheltered maidens behind brocade screens hold this radiant springtime far too cheap!
  4. Song of Everlasting RegretBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsTurning with a single smile, a hundred charms arose; all the beauties of the palace faded without color.

Crafts & Material Wisdom

21 works

Inscribing names on masterful artifacts, probing the essence of things: craftsmanship and material aesthetics in classical prose.

  1. Zhuangzi: The Mastery of Nurturing LifeZhuangzi (traditionally attributed) · Pre-Qin MastersWhat your servant loves is the Dao, which advances beyond mere craft. Inserting that which has no thickness into spaces with gaps, vast and spacious there is surely ample room for the blade to wander.
  2. Popular Stories in Capital Editions: The Jade GuanyinAnonymous (Song–Yuan storytellers) · Vernacular StoriesBecause of you I was beaten to death by the Prince and buried in the back garden.
  3. Postscript on Wu Daozi's PaintingsSu Shi · Letters & PrefacesWith poetry reaching Du Zimei, prose reaching Han Tuizhi, calligraphy reaching Yan of Lu and painting reaching Wu Daozi, the changes of past and present and all the accomplishments under heaven were complete.
  4. The Armillary Tapestry: Woven Palindrome Poem in Seven-Character LinesSu Hui (Su Ruolan) · Palindrome VerseBenevolent, wise, cherishing virtue, like the sage kings Shun and Yao; true and wondrous, radiant and splendid, their glory shown in brilliant display;

Culinary & Gastronomy

10 works

Fermenting seasonings, brewing fragrant tea, and gathering around seasonal feasts: the culinary wisdom of Huaxia living.

  1. The Classic of Tea: OriginsLu Yu · NotebooksAs a beverage, tea is most fitting for people of refined conduct and modest virtue.
  2. Recipes from the Garden of Contentment: PrefaceYuan Mei · Letters & PrefacesSo seriously did the ancients take food and drink!
  3. Song of Tea Drinking Teasing Governor Cui ShiJiaoran (Monk Jiaoran) · Old-Style SongsThe first cup washes away dullness and drowsiness; my spirits rise, bright and clear, filling heaven and earth. The second cup clears my mind, like flying rain sprinkling away light dust. With the third cup I attain the Way; why labour painfully to break through vexations?
  4. Invitation to Liu the NineteenthBai Juyi · Regulated QuatrainsAs dusk falls, snow begins to drift—will you join me for a cup?

Strategies

113 works

Formlessness in supreme statecraft, deception in grand strategy: the top-level control and maneuvers of classical military arts and geopolitical dynamics.

  1. The Art of War: Strategic AttackSun Wu (Sunzi) · Pre-Qin MastersTo subdue the enemy's army without fighting is the best of the best.
  2. Zuo Tradition: Cao Gui on WarfareZuo Qiuming (traditionally attributed) · Historical NarrativeThe meat-eaters are shallow and cannot plan far ahead.
  3. Strategies of the Warring States: Feng Xuan as Guest of Lord MengchangLiu Xiang (comp.) · Historical NarrativeLong sword, let's go home! There's no fish to eat.
  4. Records of the Grand Historian: Hereditary House of the Marquis of LiuSima Qian · Historical Narrativestruck the wrong carriage, one of the escort

Education

63 works

Breaking aristocratic monopolies, selecting talent through merit and letters: a classical civil service selection network that sustained societal mobility for a millennium.

  1. The Analects: Four Disciples Sitting with ConfuciusAnonymous (Confucius's disciples and their students) · Pre-Qin MastersIn late spring, spring robes already made, with five or six young men and six or seven boys, to bathe in the Yi River, enjoy the breeze at the Rain Altar, and return home chanting verse. The Master sighed deeply and said: 'I am with Dian!'
  2. Xunzi: An Exhortation to Learning (劝学)Xunzi (Xun Kuang) · Pre-Qin MastersBlue dye is taken from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the plant; ice is made of water, yet it is colder than water.
  3. On TeachersHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsA teacher is one who transmits the Dao, imparts knowledge, and resolves perplexities. Pupils need not be inferior to teachers, and teachers need not be superior to pupils; some hear the Dao earlier than others, and specialties differ in craft—that is all.
  4. Explanation on the Advancement of LearningHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsLearning is perfected by diligence and ruined by frivolity; conduct is formed by reflection and destroyed by heedless conformity.

Sciences

6 works

Counting rods establishing algebra, seismographs remote-detecting the earth: how the classical Orient deduced the laws of nature using pure physics and physical computational hardware.

  1. Songs of Chu: Questions to HeavenQu Yuan · Chu ElegiesAt the primordial beginning of remote antiquity, who was there to transmit the account? When Heaven and Earth had not yet taken form, how could they be examined? When light and dark were merged in chaos, who could probe their origin? Whirling formless primordial mist—how can it be comprehended? Where are the sun and moon attached? How are the arrays of stars arranged?
  2. Heaven Answered · ExcerptLiu Zongyuan · Chu ElegiesAnswer: The vastness of the primal beginning is something told by fabulists. Its great spirit, dim and tangled, how can it be put into words? Darkness and light, faint and minute, came and went in ceaseless profusion; through murky transformations only the primal qi endured, so what was there that 'brought it about'?
  3. Xunzi: Discourse on Heaven (天论)Xunzi (Xun Kuang) · Pre-Qin MastersNature operates with constant constancy: it exists not for Yao, nor perishes for Jie. Respond to it with sound governance and fortune ensues; respond with disorder and calamity results. Rather than exalting Heaven and longing for it, why not harness natural forces and master them!
  4. Compendium of Materia Medica: Preface by Wang ShizhenWang Shizhen · Letters & Prefaceshis countenance mild and glowing, his frame lean, his talk eager and abundant: truly the one man south of the Dipper.

Architecture

15 works

Physical mortise-and-tenon joints, eaves soaring atop precipices: observing how ancestors constructed architectural and spatial engineering marvels across cliffs and wilderness.

  1. Preface to the Prince of Teng's PavilionWang Bo · Parallel ProseSunset clouds and solitary wild duck fly together; autumn waters and the boundless sky share a single hue.
  2. Rhapsody on the Epang PalaceDu Mu · Prose RhapsodiesThe men of Qin had no time to mourn themselves, so later generations mourn them; but if later generations mourn them without taking warning, they will only make still later generations mourn them in turn.
  3. Record of the Old Drunkard PavilionOuyang Xiu · Travel WritingThe Old Drunkard's delight lies not in wine, but in the mountains and waters. The joy of mountain and stream is found in the heart and entrusted to wine. People know the joy of following their governor on excursions, yet know not that the governor finds his highest joy in their joy!
  4. Record of an Evening Tour on Six Bridges Awaiting the MoonYuan Hongdao · Travel WritingFrom the Broken Bridge to the Su Causeway, a green mist and a red haze spread for more than twenty li.

Infrastructure

11 works

Walls fortifying frontiers, grand canals unifying veins: utilizing the consolidated will of a grand governance to expand and structure human habitat and survival spaces.

  1. The Hard Road to ShuLi Bai · Old-Style SongsAh, alas, how perilous and towering! The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the cerulean blue sky!
  2. Songs of Chu: She Jiang (Crossing the River)Qu Yuan · Chu ElegiesSo long as my soul is upright and true, what harm is there in distant banishment!
  3. Zhuangzi: Autumn FloodsZhuangzi (traditionally attributed) · Pre-Qin MastersYou cannot speak of the ocean to a well frog, for it is confined by space; you cannot speak of ice to a summer insect, for it is bound by time; you cannot speak of the Dao to a narrow scholar, for he is shackled by doctrines.
  4. Mission to the FrontierWang Wei · Regulated OctavesAcross the vast desert a lone column of smoke rises straight; over the long river the setting sun hangs round.

Commerce

11 works

Caravans traversing the Silk Road, banknotes pioneering trade: tracing how ancient trans-regional merchant syndicates engineered the world's earliest commercial credit and trust networks.

  1. Memorial on Elevating the Value of GrainChao Cuo · Essays & MemorialsPearls, jade, gold and silver cannot be eaten when one is hungry nor worn when one is cold.
  2. Words of the Orange SellerLiu Bowen · Essays & MemorialsBandits rise and they do not know how to resist them; the people suffer and they do not know how to relieve them; clerks are corrupt and they do not know how to stop them; laws decay and they do not know how to set them right; they sit wasting the granary's grain and know no shame.
  3. Slapping the Table in Amazement, First Collection: A Luckless Man Strikes It Rich with Dongting Oranges; A Persian Merchant Reveals the Turtle Shell's WorthLing Mengchu · Vernacular StoriesIt costs a tenth of the price of Fujian oranges and is called 'Dongting Red'.
  4. A New Account of Tales of the World: Shi Chong and Wang Kai Vying in ExtravaganceLiu Yiqing (comp.) · Tales of the StrangeWhen Chong had looked it over, he struck it with an iron ruyi sceptre, and it shattered at the blow.
Through the DynastiesFifteen dynasties across the twelve canons.